The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 50: Encounter on the Street

The villagers at the banquet continued their conversations, but now their attention turned to Xu Daniu as he walked by.

In the past two months, Xu Daniu had grown significantly taller. At fourteen, he was a handsome young man with rosy lips, white teeth, and a striking appearance.

Though he wasn’t as tall and handsome as the man who had just passed by, for the people of Qili Village, he was the best choice.

Now, most villagers thought Xu Daniu was even better-looking than Jin Zijun, and his family had a large courtyard.

Families with daughters began secretly planning to send matchmakers.

The most obvious was Wang Heizhuang, the third son of the Wang family. He looked at Xu Daniu with a wide smile, as if his daughter was already destined to marry him.

The eldest son of the Wang family had the same thought.

So did the second son.

And many others…

At another table, Xu Daniu’s maternal grandfather, along with his sons and sons-in-law, had been devouring the food but now began to slow down.

The eldest son, Li Dapang, said to Old Man Li, “Dad, how is this fish cooked? It’s so delicious, with no fishy taste at all!”

The second son said, “This can’t be fish. How can fish taste this good?”

The third son excitedly said, “It is fish! Look, these are fish bones.”

The younger generation curiously looked over. It really was fish!

They had been eating so quickly earlier that they only knew it was meat and that it tasted good. They hadn’t even realized it was fish!

Old Man Li glared at his sons and sons-in-law with cloudy eyes, frustrated. “All you know is eating, eating, eating! Don’t you see anything else? Look at Daniu now—so handsome, and such a big courtyard!”

The men at the table understood, but there was only one Xu Daniu! Each of them had daughters!

Especially when they heard the people at the neighboring tables talking about how wonderful Xu Daniu was.

Now, they began to eye each other with displeasure. After all, there was a big difference between a son-in-law and a nephew-in-law!

Meanwhile, the subject of their earlier discussions, Jin Zijun, was now…

“Wang Shishi, stop right there!”

Jin Zijun stood in the middle of the road, his face dark and his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Wang Shishi. His expression was so fierce it seemed he wanted to devour her flesh and drink her blood.

Wang Shishi was out shopping with Qingzi, followed by Gong Shiyi and a few other companions.

Nangong Yunhao’s guards were divided into two levels. The first level had names starting with “Nan,” such as Nan Yi, Nan Er…

The second level had names starting with “Gong,” such as Gong Yi, Gong Er…

Then there were the ordinary guards.

Nangong Yunhao had taken Nan Yi and the others to Qingshan Town.

He had received a message that his cousin had been found and was recuperating in Qingshan Town.

Nangong Yunhao had been very busy, overseeing the new dishes at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion in every county and prefecture, as well as managing other businesses.

After a month of inspections and guidance, he had passed through Hengzhou Prefecture yesterday, planning to make a brief stop before returning to Luocheng.

Upon receiving the message about his cousin in Qingshan Town, Nangong Yunhao immediately set off on horseback early in the morning.

Hengzhou Prefecture was over a hundred miles from Qingshan Town. It took four to five days by carriage, but riding a horse was much faster.

It was inconvenient to bring Wang Shishi on horseback, and there were many things he didn’t want her to know, so he left Gong Shiyi and a few others to accompany her during the day while she shopped.

After lunch, Wang Shishi, as usual, took her entourage out to shop. Hearing the sharp voice, she looked up and asked, “Who are you? Are you calling me?”

“You’re pretending not to know me?”

“Who are you?”

Wang Shishi found the voice somewhat familiar but couldn’t place it. She stared at the disheveled man in front of her, his clothes wrinkled and his eyes bloodshot, looking as if he wanted to eat her alive. She searched her memory but truly didn’t recognize him.

Recently, she had been revelling her husband’s gentle embrace at night and the joy of shopping with the generous allowance he gave her during the day.

She had long since forgotten about Jin Zijun.

Moreover, the Jin Zijun she saw now had a twisted, lifeless face. It was no wonder Wang Shishi didn’t recognize him.

A cold smile crept onto her lips.

“Which lunatic dares block my way? Gong Shiyi, get him out of here.”

Wang Shishi’s good mood was ruined, and she was growing impatient.

“You!”

Facing Wang Shishi’s impatient expression, Jin Zijun felt a surge of bitterness in his throat, almost spitting blood.

“Wang Shishi, you’re pretending not to know me? Do you remember when you let me kiss you in the bamboo grove? Do you remember saying you would marry me?”

Jin Zijun roared furiously.

He had spent five days in the examination hall, eating poorly and feeling even worse. How could he have performed well?

Today, the results were announced, and he had failed. Exhausted, he was walking down the street when he saw Wang Shishi with a large entourage, smiling radiantly.

When Wang Shishi first arrived in Qili Village, she had been embarrassed after being oppressed by her stepmother and stepsister.

How could she compare to the Wang Shishi now, pampered by Nangong Yunhao?

Now, she was radiantly beautiful, her smile captivating.

Jin Zijun felt a mix of love and hatred as he looked at her, hating her for her heartlessness.

He had been staring at her with his sinister eyes for a long time, but Wang Shishi showed no reaction. So he blocked her path and shouted, only to find that this wretched woman still didn’t recognize him.

In his frustration, he blurted out everything.

Wang Shishi was momentarily stunned, finally remembering who he was, but she only frowned slightly.

She sneered, “Where did this lunatic come from? How bold! Recently, there have been too many lunatics obsessed with my beauty, but none as brazen as to spout such nonsense.”

Qingzi viciously said, “You lunatic! How dare you slander my lady? I’ll kill you!”

Jin Zijun, already filled with rage after failing the exams, had nowhere to vent his anger. Now, being shouted at and threatened by the maid, he felt his vision darken.

He rushed forward, wanting to strangle Wang Shishi.

“You slut! You flirtatious slut! You seduced me, and now you pretend not to know me? I’ll kill you!”

But before he could even touch Wang Shishi’s sleeve, Gong Shiyi kicked him away.

Seeing Jin Zijun sprawled on the ground, unable to get up, Wang Shishi really wanted to finish him off.

But she didn’t want to kill him in front of so many people.

It didn’t fit her gentle and kind persona.

She loudly addressed the crowd watching the commotion:

“This man is clearly a failed scholar who has lost his mind. We are just passing through and truly don’t know him.”

With that, she gracefully walked away with her entourage.

After Wang Shishi left, the onlookers began chattering. “That’s the young madam of Drunken Fragrance Pavilion. She just arrived in Hengzhou Prefecture yesterday to inspect the business.”

“How do you know?”

“My cousin’s brother works at Drunken Fragrance. I saw their group yesterday.”

Everyone laughed and chatted, ignoring Jin Zijun, who was still lying on the ground. They all tacitly treated him as air.

Jin Zijun watched Wang Shishi’s retreating figure, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes filled with resentment.

He couldn’t fight back, and when he tried to curse, everyone called him a lunatic. What could he do? He could only get up and return to Qili Village.

Meanwhile, Xu Honghua had followed Xiao Jingheng all the way to the kitchen door.

(End of Chapter)